Reunion in Missouri
by jmstevens
Summary: Summary: This is a redux of "The Benders", in which Dean discovers that Jamie Carter, a young lady he met in New Orleans, is among the victims who have been kidnapped, along with Alvin Jenkins. My hope is that this will be the first of a series which spans season 1 through to the current season, whether that turns out to be 12 or 13.
1. Across the Room

Summary: This is a redux of "The Benders", in which Dean discovers that Jamie Carter, a young lady he met in New Orleans, is among the victims who have been kidnapped, along with Alvin Jenkins.

My hope is that this will be the first of a series which spans season 1 through to the current season, whether that turns out to be 12 or 13. It is a work in progress and any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Chapter 1: Across the Room

Dean couldn't resist a smirk of satisfaction. Three very attractive young women were looking in his and Sam's direction. There was a slender blonde in denim shorts and a navy blue tank top who seemed particularly interest in what he was doing. He could use a break, he thought, after pretty much hitting a dead end with not being able to find Alvin Jenkins.

Her companions, particularly the strawberry blonde with the long legs, stroked his ego even more with their giggles and whispers.

Jamie took a long deep breath in when she saw the blonde man in the leather jacket and cowboy boots enter the bar. She watched as his taller companion ordered two beers and carried them over to the dart board.

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Jamie was in the back, putting stock away when the frond door chimed. He looked like he walked off the cover of a GQ magazine, she thought. The way her friend and co-worker Rachel was acting, she was ready to bear his children.

The man flashed a Tom Cruise grin at her as he flashed his badge. "Agent Hardy, FBI."

Jamie barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her friend's behaviour.

"How can we help you, Agent?" Rachel asked, twirling her hair between her fingers.

'Agent Hardy' laid two 8x10 pictures by the cash register. "Have you seen these two women? We have a witness who saw them come in here to buy a bracelet."

Rachel finally managed to tear her eyes away from him. – granted it was only after Jamie subtlely kicked her in the shin- and looked at the two raven haired slender girls.

"I've been away on vacation, Agent. Jamie was looking after the store." Rachel looked at her friend. Jamie picked up both pictures to look at them.

"Hang on, let me find the receipts from the last couple of days."

When she was in the back, she could hear Rachel's attempts to engage Agent Hardy in small talk, asking him if he intended to take in some of the other festivities. It was Mardi Gras after all.

Sighing, Jamie began to hunt for the elusive receipts that plagued her memory.

She couldn't help a cry of triumph.

"Jaim?" Rachel poked her head into the backroom.

Jamie grinned. "Got 'em."

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"Jamie? It's your shot."

Jamie was snapped back to the realization of where she was: Standing in front of a pool table with a cue in her hand. Her vest friends Phoebe and Shannon were looking at her with concern and confusion.

"Is that someone you know?" The young man she had been staring at was now looking straight at the three of them.

"No…" she said softly, curiously sad. Meeting Phoebe's eyes, she added in a conversational tone, "I need some air. Just skip my turn, K?"

"Jaim…" Shannon started.

Dean and Sam noticed the pretty young blonde say something to her companions before putting down her pool cue and heading for the door. Dean gave his brother a "What the hell?" look as Sam grinned in amusement.

"Maybe you had something on your face."

Dean finally dismissed it with his customary half-shrug. "Com on, let's get another round. You're buying."

Sam grunted in a 'yeah right' way. "Actually, I think I'd prefer to find a hotel. I saw one about a half mile back."

"Come on, Sammy. Let your hair down. Have a little fun…"

"Let my hair down?" Sam repeated.

Dean gave his floppy-haired little brother a once over.

"You're right. It's already down," he deadpanned, earning an eye roll from Sam. "Fine…I'm gonna hit the head."

Sam shook his head even as she headed outside. He jumped out of his skin when he heard the thump behind him, as Jamie had done not even five minutes prior. As Jamie had done, he laughed at himself for trying to do in the cat that had run under the parked Chevy next to him. Thus was the irony. He wasn't even aware he was in danger. So when the hand reached out to grab his ankle, he didn't even have time to cry out.


	2. The Search Begins

Dean met up with the other two girls as they were parking in front of the sheriff's station. The leggy strawberry blonde still had tears running down her cheek and Dean could hear her saying to the other girl. "How could she just disappear into thin air?"

Her companion, even thought Dean's gut told him she was scared, still tried to be comforting. "We'll find out, Shann."

She was so focused on what she was doing, that she almost ran straight into Dean. Her gaze slowly travelled up his well shaped chest to meet his green eyes. Her cheeks tinged pink. "Sorry.. We just…"

"Phoebe, I want to go in…" The strawberry blonde tugged on her friend's arm.

"Your friend's missing? The one that was with you?"

"She went out for fresh air while we were finishing our pool game and... we couldn't find her." Phoebe dug around in her purse.

"You still have that picture, right?" The one identified as 'Shann' asked anxiously.

Dean intercepted the picture before it could get to Shannon. He found himself, staring at someone familiar…

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Dean tugged off his tie as he stepped out into the street. He had been searching for the missing girls now for almost three days and had nothing to show for it. He considered calling John, but the last thing he wanted to do was get a lecture about family responsibility and how disappointed he was in him. What he really needed was a beer…or two… or three. Fortunately, wit it being Mardi Gras, alcohol was abundant.  
If she hadn't been up on stage, he wouldn't have picked a bar tat played country music or whose karaoke showcased country music and the artists who performed them. She was wearing a skin tight jeans and a cut-off shirt that showed off her mid-riff. Her long blonde hair fell in soft waves. In one hand, she had a mask with what possibly looked like peacock feathers.

Intrigued, Dean decided to dismiss his previous vehement complaints about country music being for sissies and joined the catcalling, whistling, drunken, singing crows. His eyes never left her as she ordered a beer. She launched into the second verse of Shania Twain's "If You're Not in it For Love (I'm Outta Here) in a sultry voice.

Babe, I can change your world. Make you a cover girl

Yeah, you could be a beauty queen in a magazine

(At the words 'beauty queen in a magazine', Jane..Janine?.. he couldn't remember her name, but the way she struck a flirtatious pose, pouting out her lips)

Now tell me what's your sign? Why always the same old line?

I'll be in number 409 if you changed your mind

Let me make it clear to you my dear

(Was she pointing at him? Nah, she couldn't be)

If you're not in it for love

If you're not willin' to give it all you got

If you're not in it for life, if you're not in it for love

Let me make it clear to you my dear

If you're not in it for love, I'm outta here.

(She received loud whistles and cheers when she signalled like she was a baseball umpire with her mask…so hot, Dean thought. She got the crowd clapping for the final stanza)

If you're not in it for love

"If you're not willin' to give it all you got  
If you're not in it for life, if you're not in it for love  
If you're not in it for life, if you're not in it for love  
I'm outta here

She finished the song to people calling out for an encore. They made eye contact with each other as she was replacing the microphone.

"Agent Hardy…I never figured you for a country music lover," was the first thing she said.

"You singing like that, you may just change my mind." Dan flashed her a grin of his own, turning on the charm just a bit more.

"Get you another beer? It's on me."

"I'd never turn down a beer."

She made a 'hm' sound and lead the way, holding up two fingers for two beers.

"Showing another out of towner a good time are we?"

A buxom waitress behind the bar commented, jerking her head in Dean's direction.

"Nothing wrong with showing a little hospitality is there?"

"Cat fight anyone?" Dean thought, raising his eyebrows as the bartender set down his beer in front of him.

"Oy, Gretchen, you gonna shake that tight ass of yours and deliver these drinks or what?" the balding bartender suddenly turned on the waitress. Maybe he was thinking that a catfight would break out at any second.

Gretchen glared at Dean's companion, muttering something under his breath that sounded a lot like the 'b' word to Dean.

"Thanks, Ian." Her body seemed to relax a bit, taking a long swig.

"Don't let her bother you, lass." He winked at her before turning back to his customers.

Dean watched Gretchen drop off a tray of frothy beers to a table of young college students. Watching them make him think of Sam back in Stanford.

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"Officer Washington? Deputy Hudak's voice brought him back. The picture of the missing woman was still on the desk in front of him.

"Sorry. I was just trying to remember if Sam ever mentioned her," Dean lied smoothly.

"The two of them were together?"

"Sam was playing darts and Jamie was playing pool with my sister and I," said Phoebe.

"But you saw my cousin leave?" It was Dean's turn to question them.

Shannon started to remind him he already knew that because he was there too, but she got a jab in the ribs.

"I went outside to smoke a cigarette. It's my one and only vice," Shannon said instead.

"That's great, but did you see Sam?" Dean said with an underlying/desperation.

"I think it was him, but I can't be sure. He had his back to me."

Deputy Hudak still looked skeptical but she thought she should still do her due diligence. Officer Washington if that was his real name, seemed like he wouldn't let up until Sam—if he actually existed—as found. If he actually did exist and he had gone missing, what if he didn't come back?

"What's Sam's last name?" She finally pushed her chair towards her computer monitor.

"Winchester."

"Like the rifle?"

Whether Dean had heard this before or not, wasn't easily apparent. With a barely perceptible nod, he greed, 'Like the rifle.'

Deputy Hudak tapped a few keys and, to the girls' astonishment, a rap sheet turned up on her screen. It listed his basic stats, from his age to his height, weight, hair & eye color.

"That's him," Dean agreed.

"So you know that his brother Dean was killed in St. Louis and that he was wanted for murder."

Shannon couldn't quite hide the cry of surprise that escaped his lips. Dean and Kathleen both looked at the two girls.

"Excuse us, sorry." Phoebe apologized, pulling Shannon out of earshot.

"Girls..." Dean didn't know what else to say, so he fell back on the charm.

"Are you sure he can be trusted?" Shannon looked over at Dean, who had gone back to his conversation with the deputy.

"I didn't think we have a choice," Phoebe told her sister before rejoining Dean and Kathleen.

Shannon stood where she was for a beat longer before her worry about Jamie's safety finally won over her wariness of the leather-jacketed stranger claiming to be with the state police.

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Where was he? Sam blinked his eyes and slowly sat up. His feet hit a leg and when he painfully turned his head, he found it was the same girl that he and Dean had seen at the bar. Sam gave her a cursory glance. Except for the bruise that was forming on her right temple, she looked alright.  
From what he could see it looked like a shed of some kind they were in. He could barely make out another person in the cage opposite.

The girl began to stir when she heard him probing the top of the cage with his hands, trying to find a way out. She tried to sit up, but put her hand to her head, wincing. "Ow."

"It's okay. Just take it easy."

She took another moment before she eased herself to a sitting position, seeming to try to find who was talking to her. Sam gave her a smile. A look of recognition seemed to briefly come over her face when she realized who he was.

"I'm Sam."

"Jamie..." She looked around the dark, dank room, finally noticing the man in the other cage. "What happened, Sam?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out..." He accidentally kicked her. "Sorry."

She attempted a smile, trying to calm herself down. She had always hated confined spaces, and not knowing where she was or why she was there wasn't exactly helping matters.

"Do you think he's hurt?"

Jamie wasn't sure, but she nodded anyway. They came aware of the moaning from the cage opposite them. Alvin Jenkins sat up.

"Hey.." Sam found it awkward since whoever had abducted them had stuffed them in a cage that couldn't have been more than 8x12. You're Alvin Jenkins aren't you?"

"Yeah..."

"This probably isn't going to make you feel any better, but I'm here to rescue you."

"And what about your friend? Is she your deputy?" Jenkins said sarcastically.

It was beginning to make sense to her, seeing Sam with "Agent Hardy". She slowly exhaled out.

Maybe, just maybe, if Phoebe and Shannon were able to get to the sheriff's station and hook up with him, maybe there would be a cavalry to boot- Sam had gone back to jimmying the top of the cage, as he asked Jenkins. "Did you get a good look at whoever took us?"

"Nah… they just send food through the shoot."

The wheels seemed to be turning in the kid's head- okay, maybe he wasn't a kid, Jamie thought. He just looked like a kid with the way his hair was cut.

"How often?"

A buzz sounded and three trays of bread and water were dropped down a chute. Jenkins grabbed his and wolfed it down like he hadn't eaten in a year. Jamie nibbled only a small corner of her bread, uncertain if it was some how laced with poison or something.

"Jenkins...how often?"

"Once a day…" Jenkins didn't even seem to want to stop eating long enough to answer.

Sam now had turned his attention to Jamie, trying to coax her to eat. "It's just bread. See?" He took some of his own. "It's fine."

"Don't feel good..."

"Okay…" Sam gave her his cup of water. "You should at least drink this."

Jamie took it from him with a half-smile. Sam went back to jimmying the top of the cage.

"Anything, Sam/" Jamie held her cup with trembling hands.

"Gah..." Sam grunted.

"Why don't you give it up, Sammy? There's no way out."

"Don't call me Sammy."

Sam didn't know what he did, but there came the came electronic buzz and then the shed door and both cage doors opened. Jenkins, seeing his chance, dropped his plate and shimmied out the cage, ignoring Sam's warnings.

"Jenkins! I'm serious! Jenkins!" Sam yelled after him.

"I'll send back some help. Promise." With that, Jenkins disappeared.

"Jenkins!" Sam called, but it was in vain.

Jamie had a bad feeling, or maybe it was just because she had a headache, but she stayed in a fetal position. She began to rick when images of Alvin Jenkins flashed in her head: He was down on the ground, yelling like he had been injured and then his eyes widened with pain and fear as a flash of a black came down on him. Then…nothing.


	3. Where's Sam?

Summary: The search for Sam and Jamie continues as Sam and Jamie begin their first attempt to escape after Alvin Jenkins is killed by the mysterious captors that are still holding them.

"Jamie...Jamie, hey..." Sam tried to talk to her in a soothing tone of voice, getting concerned when she wasn't responding to his voice.

"They killed him…they killed him."

"Who?"

"Jenkins…they killed Jenkins."

"What?"

"We have to get out of here, Sam. Right now."

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Shannon had been talked into going back to the hotel in case they got a call from Jamie. Phoebe promised her twin sister that she would let her know if they deputy and the state trooper found any sign of their friend. The four of them had looked at traffic cam footage, which had shown an old beat up camper truck in front of Kugel's Keg the night that Sam and Jamie had disappeared. Now, Phoebe was following behind Deputy Hudak's patrol car and they were travelling down a dirt road out of town. Puzzled, Phoebe pulled to the side of the road, then saw Kathleen and Officer Washington get out of the car. Deputy Hudak went to shake Washington's hand, but then Phoebe and Officer Washington weren't expecting the deputy to handcuff him to the car handle. "Hey! You need my help."

"I can take care of myself. Thanks." Deputy Hudak headed off in the direction of a road that lead off to the right. Phoebe waited until she was gone before approaching him. He had already taken out a bobby pin and was now trying to pick the lock.

"Want me to do that?" Phoebe offered, finding herself smiling despite her worry about her friend.

"I got it." He let the handcuffs drop to the ground. "You should head back to town. Let me handle this." You're not really a State trooper. Are you?" It was more of a statement than a question.

Dean didn't answer her question. Well, not really. "I'm someone who won't get killed as soon as I walk in the front door."  
He put his hand on the small of her back, not in an unfriendly way, and nudged her in the direction of her rental car, not looking to see if she actually got into it.

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"Hey...are you alright?" Jamie looked over at the woman in the opposite cage. She was cried out now, but her face as pale and her eyes were still red.

Kathleen slowly sat up, realizing as Sam and Jamie had done earlier, where she was. She gingerly touched the top of her head, bringing back a spot of red on the tip of her fingers. When her pain haze cleared, she recognized the other two occupants in the cage opposite as the missing young people she had been looking for.

"Are you Sam? And Jamie?"

"Yeah...we are."

"Your cousin's looking for you," Kathleen told Sam.

"Good...That sounds good." Sam sounded genuinely relieved. But not for long. The door of Sam and Jamie's cage opened once again. So did the shed door. This time, two scraggly looking hicks in plaid shirts and dirty greasy ball caps cackled like hyenas as they approached the open cage. One reached out his grimy hand for Jamie who kicked and bit him. His companion grabbed her flailing feet on the second try and dragged her out, even though Sam made a valiant effort to help her.

" Leave her alone!" Sam yelled at the two hillbillies. He made a charge at them and was met with the butt of a shotgun in the face. Jamie still fought against her captors. The one holding her flipped her around so he could give her a sloppy kiss. With a muffled cry of rage, Jamie bit his lip and then managed a kick to the groin. She tried to make it to the open door, but was grabbed by the second one around the waist.

" Looks like we got a fighter here, Lee..."Lee gave another hyena like laugh and followed his companion and a still screaming, writhing Jamie. The door clanged shut.

"Jamie!" Sam got his senses back enough to try for the cage door again as it closed. "Damn it!"

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Dean followed the same route that Kathleen had gone, coming to the run down house through a junk yard of cars. The camper they had seen on the surveillance video was there, and he knew that he was in the right place. Voices from the right got his attention. He ducked behind a clunker of a blue Honda, readying his gun for whatever emerged. Jamie came into his field of what he could see, she looked fine. He didn't see any sign of his little brother though, which he didn't like. Dean followed the three of them into the living room of the house, thinking that maybe they would lead him to Sam.

"Is that you, boys?" Their pa called from where he had been working. He emerged, wiping blood off his hands with an old rag. He looked from the boys to the frightened woman they had pushed into a chair.

"What is she doing here?" The boys' grin disappeared when they realized their father was actually upset at them.

"But, Pa.."

"Get a move on.." Pa took both of his boys by the ear and dragged them out, giving Jamie the opportunity she needed.

A hand clamped on her mouth. She would have screamed if it wasn't for the fact that she recognized the voice that came with it.

"It's okay. You're okay," Dean whispered. He felt her body start to shake." Dean..." She buried her face against him. He held her until she was a bit calmer.

Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay..." Jamie took in a breath. "He's dead, Dean...Alvin Jenkins...he's dead. They killed him."

Dean took a beat to absorb what she was telling him. He inwardly cursed before he cupped her tear-stained face so that she was looking at him

"I was with another guy at the bar...tall, lanky guy. Do you remember him?"

"Sam...Your brother." She pointed with her head in the direction of the wooden shed. "You'll find him in there. Don't worry, he's fine. They haven't hurt him or the police officer you were with."

Dean looked at her. "How'd you know that?"

That got a half-smile. "Visions, remember?""

Yeah...right. "A beat." You saw both of them?"

"Right before Beavis and Butthead decided to manhandle me." Dean seemed torn between getting Jamie to safety and finding his little brother. "Go get your brother and rescue the damsel. It's what you do."

"Jamie..."

"Look, I'm not saying it's the best time I've ever had, but right now, your brother and the deputy need you more than I do."

Dean listened for a moment to make sure none of their captors were coming back. He took her hand, pulling her to her feet.

"Then I say let's get this party started."

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"Whoa...easy..." Dean grabbed a tipsy Jamie's elbow as they left the bar and walked out once again into the street.  
She involuntarily giggled. "I don't usually get...get like this..." she apologized. "That whiskey was a little stronger than I thought."

Dean couldn't resist a smile. "Sounds like you don't usually drink," he pointed out. "How much alcohol did you think whiskey had?"

Jamie half-shrugged. "I don't know what I was thinking. Don't feel so good."

"We'll get you a glass of water," Dean promised, having to catch her elbow again when she suddenly started to fall over again. He gently let her sit down on the curb and then sat beside her.

"So what's your verdict about country bars, Agent Hardy?" came a voice from their left. Rachael joined them. She offered her friend a water bottle.

"Rock's more my thing... "Dean gave Rachael a charming smile." But I could be convinced otherwise.""

If Jamie wasn't feeling so sick, she would have thrown up from the charm oozing out of Dean and the hormones that were dripping from her friend.

"Jaim..."

"Go on ahead...I'll be fine."

"I wouldn't want to leave you."

"I'll get a cab. It's fine."

Rachael and Dean exchanged glances. "We'll see you home first," she said.

Dean nodded his agreement. "We'll see you back home."

They settled her on the couch with three bottles of water, a couple cans of ginger ale, and pretzels. As an afterthought, Rachael also left Jamie her bottle of aspirin.

"Have you had dinner yet?" Dean asked.

"I'm starving." Rachael blew her friend a kiss and she and Dean left, neither of them aware that this would be the last night of Rachael's life.


	4. Close But No Escape

Summary: Dean has escaped from the sheriff's squad car and found both his little brother and Jamie. Now, they're trying to escape.

When Dean saw his little brother, his previous worry was replaced by a feeling of relief. For a moment, the deputy in the other cage didn't exist.

"Are you hurt?" Dean's eyes scanned Sam.

"No. I'm okay..." Sam paused. "Dean, there was someone else here. I think you know her." Kathleen interjected, "Jamie Carter is here? She's alive."

"She's the Tonto to my Lone Ranger." Dean half-grinned.

"Then where is she?"

Dean's grin was replaced by a look of confusion. Then, when he realized Jamie wasn't with him, he violently burst out," Son of a bitch!" He began kicking himself for allowing Jamie to go off by herself.

"Maybe she was able to go out and get help. She could be on her way right now.." Sam tried to comfort his brother."

"Or maybe she's in trouble. I shouldn't have left her."

Sam looked at his big brother, saying gently," You should go look for her."

"Sammy..."

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Go..."

"I'll be back for you..."

"I know you will."

Dean stole his way out again, leaving Kathleen and Sam alone once again

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Jamie had every intention of helping him. She really did. She thought that she had seen keys in the house were she was being held. She had gotten a really bad feeling that Sam and the deputy that was with him was going to fall to the same fate as Alvin Jenkins, which motivated her to try to help Dean.

Her heart was pounding in her ears as she tried to go back the way she came to find a key, not realizing that Dean was also on his way back with the same intention. She also didn't realize that the to Bender brothers were out trying to get rid of any evidence of Alvin Jenkins and to make sure that no one else followed them.

Maybe if she hadn't stepped on the trap that activated the shotgun shell, she would have been more successful, but she soon found herself being scooped up by Lee Bender again and heading back to the house with her over his shoulder like a prized trophy.


	5. So It Begins

Summary: The escape could be botched when Dean and Jamie both get re-caught.  
The next hunt is on. (Yeah, I know this summary sucks.)

Pa Bender grinned a toothless grin when he saw who his son was carrying, noting the wound wasn't serious.

"She's a slippery thing, ain't she?"

Jamie managed to spit in his face before she was lowered into the chair and re-tied.

"What are we gonna do with her, Pa?" Just the way Lee was looking at her was making her feel ill. It didn't help when he touched her face. She tried to move away from his dirty fingers.

"We'll do something special after we take care of those other two."

Pa heard the noise first. He left Melissa and Drew to watch her and took Lee with him. Jamie's eyes widened when they came back with Dean. He was still fighting them even as they pushed him into a chair opposite to her

"No…" she whispered, tears beginning to fall down her cheek once again. She struggled to get out of her bonds when the fire poker came out and was first applied to his shoulder. "Dean!"

The family only cackled at his groan of pain and Jamie's plea for them to stop.

"Your turn will come soon enough. First though, there's something I need to know. Are there any more o' you cops?"

Dean looked at him, saying through gritted teeth, "Eat me."

The fire poker was applied again.

"Please! Don't hurt him anymore!" Jamie pleaded. "Please!"

"Sure. Once your boyfriend tells Pa what he wants to know."

"The next time you lose an eye." Pa held the poker dangerously close to Dean's right eye.  
"Is there anyone comin' for me and my family ?"

"Just us.."

"Good...then we can begin with the hunt." The toothless grin was turned on Dean again. "You get to choose."

Dean wiggled in his chair. "If you hurt my brother, I'll kill you!" Another wave of fight came over Dean, and even though it caused pain, he struggled against the ropes.

"Why don't we hunt 'em both?" Drew said, getting a predatory gleam in his eye.

Pa seemed to like that idea. "Missy, you watch these two. Don't worry 'bout the girl's leg wound.."

"Yes, daddy," Melissa said obediently. She grinned at Dean, fingering the knife that her brother Lee gave her.

"How much of a head start are we givin' em, Pa?" was the last thing that Dean and Jamie heard as the three male Benders headed to the shed.


	6. SOS

Summary: Dean, Sam , Jamie, and Deputy Hudak all manage to escape the Benders, but at what cost?

It's awfully quiet out there," Kathleen commented as she watched Sam jimmy the top of his cage again. Sam didn't want to voice it out loud- he wanted to keep the voices of doubt/fear out of his head. What if Dean had been captured and they were hunting him right this very second and he was stuck here. But on the other hand, they hadn't been able to hear anything. Kathleen hadn't either.

They were warned of someone approaching by the doors clanging open, followed by the Bender brothers' cackles…or at least until they figured out that the two were no longer in their cages. "Where did they go?"

Kathleen and Sam were on them before they could call out for their Pa. Sam barely had time to register Kathleen was now on Drew's back before he was on Lee.

Melissa was distracted by the sound of gunshots, and this was the opportunity Dean needed to tackle the girl and get the knife away from her as Jamie willed herself to get up and help. Dean thought he was going to get the upper hand…until the hunting knife suddenly appeared in Melissa's hand. She seemed to take pleasure in the cry of pain that came from Jamie's lips and the surprise/horror on Dean's face. It was only a momentary freeze. Dean was able to get the knife away from Melissa .With Jamie's help, they pushed her into the closet. Dean tried his best to comfort Jamie as he gently picked her up in his arms and carried her out of the house.

"Oh my god, Jamie." Phoebe rushed over to her half-conscious friend, wrapping her head scarf around Jamie's leg, not liking how white her friend's face was.

"You'll be okay, sweetheart." Dean gritted his teeth for a moment as a shooting pain went through his shoulder. The cut on his head didn't feel too great either, but, he told himself, the two women with him were his priority. He asked Phoebe, "Where's your car?"

"Down the road...it's not far..." Dean could see that Jamie's brunette friend was studying the injuries that he had sustained during his encounter with the Bender family.

A soft moan escaped Jamie's lips before she slipped into unconsciousness entirely. Her head lolled against Dean's shoulder.

"We gotta go now." Dean didn't mince words to Phoebe to drive her on.

Phoebe numbly led the way, even though she periodically felt the need to see if her best friend was still unconscious. Phoebe fumbled with the keys, finally getting the passenger door open and then steadied Jamie as Dean lowered her into the seat. She barely waited for Dean to close the door before the car tires were spinning and she drove away, leaving Dean in a cloud of gravel.

"Dean!"

Dean was brought out of his thoughts by Sam's voice. "I'm here, Sammy."

Sam and Deputy Hudak both met him. Sam did a once over of his big brother.

"You okay?"

"You know me… I'm always okay."

"I don't see Jamie. I thought you said she was with you," the deputy interrupted.

"Yeah. She's with her friend on the way to the hospital. The girl stabbed her with a knife."

Dean ignored the look that his brother gave, looking pointedly at Hudak.

"Where is everyone?" he asked, referring to male Benders.

"They've been dealt with." Kathleen was vague in her answer, which tripped the boys' radar, but they were being hurried off before they could inquire further.

They were told where they could find their car, and then they were being advised to be on their way before the FBI and State patrol officers showed up to ask what happened.

"You better start walking."

Dean and Sam walked in amiable silence until Kathleen and the farm were out of view.

"If you ever do anything like that again,." Dean suddenly blurted, stopping to face Sam.

"You'll what…you'll kill me?" Sam grinned at his big brother, half in amusement, half affectionately.

Dean muttered something inaudible and started walking.

"So you want to tell me what happened?" Sam asked as he followed.

"What happened with what?" Dean stared straight ahead.

"With Jamie," Sam said gently.

Dean blew out a breath. "The girl stabbed her in the leg with a hunting knife before we could subdue her."

"Is she going to be okay?"

Sam couldn't be sure, but it almost sounded like he was swearing under his breath.

"We'll go get cleaned up, then we'll go see her. Okay?"

Dean was quiet for a minute, like he was processing this. "Thanks, Sammy."


End file.
